Joseph De
Gobineau, born on June 14, 1816 in a Parisian suburb, came from an aristocratic
background.His father was in
command of Louis 18thís Imperial guards, and the young Gobineau was
attending military school, when the second French revolution unfolded in July
1830.With his family fortune turning overnight, Joseph was forced
to leave the military school and depart for sanctuary in Germany and
Switzerland.